Get Your Grill On

05/16/2016 04:33AM
● Published by Family Features

(Family Features) Firing up the grill is an American tradition. The farm families who produce the food so many people enjoy at backyard cookouts want to share some of their favorite grilling recipes, as well as an appreciation for how food gets from the farm to the table.

Farmers like Amanda Folkens, from Iowa, Danell Kalcevic, from Colorado, and Nicole Small, from Kansas, have joined with more than 70 other farmer volunteers across the country in the CommonGround program as a way to talk with home cooks about how food is grown and raised.

“On our farm, animal care is top priority, as it is for thousands of other family farms in the U.S.” said Amanda. “By keeping our animals indoors, we make sure they are protected from predators, disease and bad weather.”s

Here are some of Amanda, Danell and Nicole’s favorite grilling recipes.

— There’s no need to pay extra for poultry or pork that’s labeled hormone-free. USDA prohibits farmers from using hormones to raise chicken and pigs.

— Nearly all beef cattle, whether raised organically or conventionally, spend the majority of their lives on pastures eating grass.

— Purchasing organic, grass-fed and free-range meats does not make them safer to consume. These labels refer to how the animals are raised, but all meat and poultry can contain bacteria that could cause illness.

— Most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented with proper processing, handling and cooking of food to destroy bacteria.